NAB-tainted ex-IG slips into Imrans PTI
Umar Cheema
Saturday, December 24, 2011
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=11231&Cat=13#http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=11231&Cat=13#
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ISLAMABAD: With recruitment of political tourists in progress, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf has now opened its arms even to NAB-infected individuals, a textbook approach of Pervez Musharraf.
Chairman PTI, Imran Khan, has taken a U-turn by accepting in party ranks a former Inspector General Police (IGP), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Malik Naveed Ahmad, who has one corruption reference and two inquiries pending with National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Ironically welcoming Naveed in the party, Imran said: the days of plunderers were numbered, according to a press release issued by the former. Incidentally, Naveed has been introduced into the PTI by the partys head of scrutiny committee in KP, Rustam Shah Mehmand, who told The News that Naveed enjoyed good reputation, an assertion disputed by majority of party leaders in the provincial chapter. Naveeds corruption cases, is an easy general-knowledge question for everybody living in Peshawar, Rustams hometown.
Rustam, a former bureaucrat and an upright man by his own right, however, acknowledged before The News that circumstances have taken over the work of scrutiny committee as it is difficult to verify everybodys credentials given the pace of joining by all and sundry.
This whole drama is a reminiscent of the early days of Musharraf, ex-military ruler, who announced showing zero tolerance to corruption. He was so determined that the first raid was conducted at Chaudhrys of Gujrat residence, and their servants were maltreated by armymen for putting up resistance.
Musharraf not only backtracked later, he also sought telephonic apology from Chaudhry Shujaat when he was advised by Tariq Aziz, his point-man and then close friend of Chaudhrys, said a knowledgeable person.
PTI leadership seems to be on the same course. Naveeds joining PTI has raised manyeyebrows even within the party. Background conversation with PTIs KP chapter leaders reveals they were caught by surprise over this move. He slipped in through Rustam Shah Mehmand, said one of them, a fact acknowledged by Rustam.
Naveed has been accused of embezzlement in procurement of arms/bullet-proof jackets for KP police, a project of Rs26 billion. In addition, he is being inquired for assets beyond known means and one corruption reference is pending with NAB in which he was granted bail from an accountability court but NAB went into appeal against the decision in Peshawar High Court that has been accepted for hearing.
Naveed was accused in this reference of making 500 illegal recruitments in Frontier Constabulary (FC) allegedly for financial purposes. Naveed was Commandant FC before assuming the charge of KP police chief in March 2008. The FC recruitments were made in 2006 when 750 candidates cleared the test but 1246 were inducted and all this happened allegedly under the directions of Malik Naveed, then Commandant FC.
Regarding probe into procurement scam, a well-placed NAB official in KP told The News that the inquiry has been finalized. Chairman NAB who visited Peshawar a couple of days ago, has been asked to sign the inquiry into corruption reference for trial of former IGP and accomplices, the official further said. A separate inquiry into Naveeds assets beyond known means has not been completed yet, according to the senior NAB official involved in all three cases.
As he announced joining PTI, Naveed said: only Imran Khan could steer the country out of crisis.
Iftikhar Gillani, a former law minister, was another prominent person joining PTI couple of days ago together with Naveed. Both hail from Kohat. Gillani is also being touted as electable though he won once in lifetime and long ago. He started political career from PPP, later joined PML-Q but went into political hibernation after losing election, only to resurface now.
Majority of the people joining PTI, are former Q-Leaguers and dubbed as political tourists by Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi. The likes of Dr. Shehzad Waseem and others have also joined PTI recently. More they come; more they frustrate party veterans and workers alike. A remark by the PTI leader who previously served at an important position and is known for vocalizing concerns is quite instructive: Even pimps and bootleggers are also joining our party.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=11231&Cat=13
Umar Cheema
Saturday, December 24, 2011
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=11231&Cat=13#http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=11231&Cat=13#
29
ISLAMABAD: With recruitment of political tourists in progress, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf has now opened its arms even to NAB-infected individuals, a textbook approach of Pervez Musharraf.
Chairman PTI, Imran Khan, has taken a U-turn by accepting in party ranks a former Inspector General Police (IGP), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Malik Naveed Ahmad, who has one corruption reference and two inquiries pending with National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Ironically welcoming Naveed in the party, Imran said: the days of plunderers were numbered, according to a press release issued by the former. Incidentally, Naveed has been introduced into the PTI by the partys head of scrutiny committee in KP, Rustam Shah Mehmand, who told The News that Naveed enjoyed good reputation, an assertion disputed by majority of party leaders in the provincial chapter. Naveeds corruption cases, is an easy general-knowledge question for everybody living in Peshawar, Rustams hometown.
Rustam, a former bureaucrat and an upright man by his own right, however, acknowledged before The News that circumstances have taken over the work of scrutiny committee as it is difficult to verify everybodys credentials given the pace of joining by all and sundry.
This whole drama is a reminiscent of the early days of Musharraf, ex-military ruler, who announced showing zero tolerance to corruption. He was so determined that the first raid was conducted at Chaudhrys of Gujrat residence, and their servants were maltreated by armymen for putting up resistance.
Musharraf not only backtracked later, he also sought telephonic apology from Chaudhry Shujaat when he was advised by Tariq Aziz, his point-man and then close friend of Chaudhrys, said a knowledgeable person.
PTI leadership seems to be on the same course. Naveeds joining PTI has raised manyeyebrows even within the party. Background conversation with PTIs KP chapter leaders reveals they were caught by surprise over this move. He slipped in through Rustam Shah Mehmand, said one of them, a fact acknowledged by Rustam.
Naveed has been accused of embezzlement in procurement of arms/bullet-proof jackets for KP police, a project of Rs26 billion. In addition, he is being inquired for assets beyond known means and one corruption reference is pending with NAB in which he was granted bail from an accountability court but NAB went into appeal against the decision in Peshawar High Court that has been accepted for hearing.
Naveed was accused in this reference of making 500 illegal recruitments in Frontier Constabulary (FC) allegedly for financial purposes. Naveed was Commandant FC before assuming the charge of KP police chief in March 2008. The FC recruitments were made in 2006 when 750 candidates cleared the test but 1246 were inducted and all this happened allegedly under the directions of Malik Naveed, then Commandant FC.
Regarding probe into procurement scam, a well-placed NAB official in KP told The News that the inquiry has been finalized. Chairman NAB who visited Peshawar a couple of days ago, has been asked to sign the inquiry into corruption reference for trial of former IGP and accomplices, the official further said. A separate inquiry into Naveeds assets beyond known means has not been completed yet, according to the senior NAB official involved in all three cases.
As he announced joining PTI, Naveed said: only Imran Khan could steer the country out of crisis.
Iftikhar Gillani, a former law minister, was another prominent person joining PTI couple of days ago together with Naveed. Both hail from Kohat. Gillani is also being touted as electable though he won once in lifetime and long ago. He started political career from PPP, later joined PML-Q but went into political hibernation after losing election, only to resurface now.
Majority of the people joining PTI, are former Q-Leaguers and dubbed as political tourists by Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi. The likes of Dr. Shehzad Waseem and others have also joined PTI recently. More they come; more they frustrate party veterans and workers alike. A remark by the PTI leader who previously served at an important position and is known for vocalizing concerns is quite instructive: Even pimps and bootleggers are also joining our party.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=11231&Cat=13
